Engraved in Shadows
by mavy1
Summary: ... "Cedarstar, I have grave news for you." "What is it, Star?" An ominous prophecy loomed in the air, making it crackle with tension. "A kit will come, and change the clan forever..." R&R. crit only please
1. Prologue

A large grey and white tom stalked beneath the low branches of the fir trees, thunder rolling in the distance as the storm grew to its peak. The cat burst from the bushes and emerged in a clearing with many small saplings in the center. A silvery white cat fixed its blue gaze upon him. "Cedarstar, I have grave news for you."

"What is it, Star?" An ominous prophecy loomed in the air, making it crackle with tension.

"A kit will come, and change the clan forever, she will have the stars in her fur and the cold of the river will flow through her eyes."

"I don't understand, what do you mean?" Cedarstar asked desperately.

"Battles will rage around her and dark prophecies will cast there shadows over her mind like murky rain clouds pouring death upon the clans." Star began to fade into the night, leaving only his scent lingering on for a moment more.

"Star, wait you must explain! I need you!" But he was already gone, leaving only a few last words ringing in Cedarstar's ears.

"... when the spirits of silverpetl walk with their paws on the earth you shall know the time has come."


	2. An Unbarable Pull

**AN**: this is a work in progress! :)

A Journey's Reminders

The thick, grey mist soaked through Poppyseed's silver-brown fur. It felt like a million icy claw digging into her pelt, and it reminded her that Leaf-bare was almost upon the forest although her fur had not yet grown thick enough to withstand the cold.

She was the cat who had done it all, as she had saved ShadowClan from a fire and predicted a ThunderClan attack, but still- no matter what she did or what the future held for her, she would always be a medicine cat. No doubt about it for her.

_I will always be treated like this._

Any sane cat would have stayed in their clan even if they would never get their chance to be a warrior but as she desperately wanted to be one, she had escaped camp and, before a patrol could track her down, the mist had set in. She was out of sight and her scent could not be followed.

As she raced along she thought of nothing but the old friends of hers who had a chance to become warriors. She thought nothing of where she would go, all she could think of was that many cats had a chance to be a warrior and never took it, choosing to be a queen or a medicine cat instead. Unlike the other cats she did not get to choose her place in the clan.

The words kept repeating in her mind.

_I will always be treated like this._

It suddenly occurred to her that this was not the way to go with her life. _What am I doing? And what am I going to do now?_ She stopped dead in her tracks to think. _Where am I? Where am I going to go now that I've ruined my chance to be a clan cat?_Then, she thought of her good friend, Winterdemon, who had become a rogue cat, along with her friend, Firesilt. Both, though warriors, had never been treated like warriors amongst their clan-mates

In that instant, she decided to find them and, like them become a rogue cat but she vowed always to remember her clan mates and, whenever given the chance, bring Nightstar down and force him to withdraw from being the ShadowClan leader.

There was just one problem.

_Where did they go?_

Where ever they went, they had gone through WindClan territory. They must have gone to the mountains. She headed towards WindClanterritory, making her way by instinct alone as she did not know exactly were she was. Trusting herself, she raced on.

_Faster, faster! I must make it through WindClan territory before daybreak or the mist will surely lift and ShadowClan will find me._ On and on she ran, and it felt like forever._ Faster, you must make it you _will _make it._

Poppyseed sped onward through a thicket of trees when she smelled the familiar scent of a ShadowClan cat headed that way, and suddenly realized she was going in the direction of the ShadowClan camp. She must have made a wrong turn somewhere and had been getting closer and closer to it! She did not know where she was, but she was sure every cat within the territories could smell her fear scent as cats from her own clan hunted her down.

She turned to run and nearly ran into a tree, and thinking it was a cat because she was so confused with fear, she attacked it. She had given it a few good blows before she realized it was just a tree. She had to make a run for it if she was going to get away in time. Her thoughts were racing, and she had no time to think of where she was going.

_They're after me, I'm going to be killed,__ I will never get a chance to be a warrior and I will never even treat another wound again. Even that's better than death._

On and on she ran, faster and faster, until she was practically flying through the familiar places. And now, it was too late to turn back and face what was coming to her. If she was to go undetected through WindClan territory she would practically have to jump over it, as at that very moment, a WindClan patrol had detected her- she was very close to Fourtrees now. Suddenly thinking that a cat was right behind her, she ran faster still, her paws barely touching the ground.

She skidded to a halt. Now, she was right in the middle of Fourtrees. As she took her first step into WindClan territory, a voice in the back of her mind was demanding that she stop, but her mind was filled with long forgotten memories...

* * *

"Search every mouse-lengthof this forest. I want her found! I don't care if we have to leave the camp unguarded for a whole moon!" Nightstar was furious, his howl echoing throughout the camp long after he had spoken his ethereal words. But, he wasn't the only one who was worried. Every warrior, every apprentice, every elder, even the queens and their kits seemed afraid. Cats were rushing around everywhere, some organizing search patrols and otherstrying to figure out how they would attack WindClan without their medicine cat.

As Poppyseed had not had an apprentice for quite some time now, they didn't have anyone to replace her.

"Hurry up you lazy cowards; you need not be afraid of the other helpless clans. Without a medicine cat to treat the wounds we may get when attacking WindClan, we can not make the attack! We can't spend 'till moonhigh organizing things, we must hurry! WindClan has stolen prey from us to many times and with Leafbare on the way we must show them that they must be true to the warrior code and keep to their own hunting grounds before Leafbare!"

"Nightstar, we need more time!" the yowl came from one of the warriors, "If we send the rest of the warriors out now, it would be pointless because the fog has not yet lifted and we would be wasting our time!" Nightstar stood up immediately and strode over to the tabby warrior, who was backing away now.

"And what do _you_suggest then, Snaketail?" The young warrior slunk into the shadows without responding to his leader. Nightstar seemed to be satisfied that he had proved his point, and announced, "All cats ready to be sent out to look for our medicine cat, go now." About half of the warriors and apprentices hurried out of the camp to find Poppyseed.

"Nightstar, Nightstar," one of the queens was calling for him, "Nightstar, over here! I think I've found Poppyseed's scent."

"Where, show me, Cloversplash! We must not waste time, where have you scented her?"

"Over there,Nightstar, but I think it leads towards Fourtrees, the opposite direction of which you sent the rest of the warriors!" Nightstar was so furious that he was not half sensible, and he screeched so loud that his voice cracked and he staggered at the fierce pain that shot through his body.

"Every warrior who can hear me, head towards Fourtrees!" he declared. The last of the warriors shot him questioning glances but obeyed his orders hastily. None of them said a word, not even Snaketail as they raced out of the camp to find their lost medicine cat.

Never before had a cat left the camp for no apparent may be having a hard time lately with Windclan stealing theirprey and Leaf-bare not far around the bend, but none of the warriors thought times were bad enough to leave the clan! They would have to wait and see what would happen to the clan if they didn't find Poppyseed.

What would happen to Poppyseed if they did find her? Would she be in trouble or would Nightstar be so grateful if they found her that he would forget the whole thing because the could now carry out his plan to stop the prey-stealers?

Likely not...


End file.
